1 903 Reptile Studies 1 1 5 



These are mainly found in the Ethiopian and Oriental 

 regions, one species, Hcrpcstcs ichneumon, occurring in 

 Europe. The Egyptian species, known as Pharaoh's 

 Mouse, is cat-like in so far as it destroys rats and mice, 

 but is still better known as a fighter of serpents. Pliny 

 and Aristotle were aware of this propensity, and ascribed 

 the immunity of the Mongoose in these contests to the 

 Mongoose first of all covering itself with a coating of mud, 

 which rendered it impervious to the serpent's bite. An- 

 other African species, though a very rare one, Bdeogale, is 

 known to kill, or at any rate eat, venomous snakes, Dr 

 Peters having recorded the finding of a Rhinoceros Viper in 

 the stomach of this Mongoose. 1 The Egyptian Ichneumon 

 was venerated by the ancient Egyptians " probably on 

 account of the services rendered by it in the destruction of 

 snakes and the eggs of the Crocodile. All sorts of wonderful 

 stories were once current about this animal's supposed habit 

 of entering the Crocodile's mouth for the purpose of preying 

 upon its vitals, and its imagined knowledge of herbs acting 

 as antidotes to the bite of a poisonous serpent. A smaller 

 species (Herpestes grtseus) is undoubtedly of great use to the 

 inhabitants of India, on account of its propensity for destroy- 

 ing snakes and rats. Here again natives believe that the 

 animal is acquainted with antidotes to snake-bites." 2 



Quite recently the question has cropped up in the London 

 press as the result of Dr Andrew Wilson's remarks in his 

 column " Science of the Day." A voluminous correspond- 

 ence ensued in the columns of the ' Daily Chronicle ' as to 

 whether the Mongoose was immune or not to cobra venom ; 

 and if so, whether it was due to the animal being naturally 

 immune, or was able by partaking of some herb to confer 

 upon itself an artificially acquired immunity. We know 

 from what has been said previously that if immunity exists it 

 is in one of these two ways : it is either due to the innate 

 natural resistance of the tissues — a resistance which cannot 

 readily be transmitted from one animal to another — or it is 

 due to the inoculation or ingestion of some specific particular 

 antidotal substance. In the case of snake-bite such antidotal 



1 Amphibia and Reptiles, Gadow, p. 410. 



- Natural History of Animals, J. Ainsworth Davis, vol. i. p. 90. 



